KNow ye that I am a man free-born in this Nation (the land of my Nativity) and have faithfully served my generation in the late wars and commotions from time to time against the common enemies, name­ly the Kings, the Dutch, the Portugal, French, and Spaniard, and what I have from time to time suffered, at present I mention little; besides the wounds and shedding of my blood, with my bone: shot and shattered to pieces, and taken out of my body; And there was a time and times also, in the behalf of the Nation, I could say to one, goe, and he goeth, and to ten, come, and it was so; and to a hundred, do this and that, and it was done: but this is past away as the dust before the wind; but behold I am this day in bonds for exercise of a pure conscience, in obedience to the invisible pure Spirit of the Lord God, in my heart, to which my soul is become subject; for its the higher power, and the most high that searcheth my heart, knoweth my heart, that I speak the truth in his fear and dread in the truth, and lye not.

Now that you may not be altogether ignorant of what you have done, In the Lord have I freedom now to write to yee, to the end that you might have a more perfect understanding, what hath already been past concerning me, before and since the time of my imprisonment, and that yee might be altogether left with­out excuse in the time of your tryall before the throne of the Lamb, slain since the foundation of the world, whether you now hear or forbear; but if the eye and ear of a good understanding be opened in you, to hearken to the cry of the op­pressed within you, and without you, and let it go free by breaking the bonds of wickednesse within and without you (Read within and understand) of a truth my soule, into which the Lord God hath breathed his pure breath of life, and thereby it now only lives; will exceedingly rejoyce in the Lord, otherwise my soule in secret (as hitherto) shall mourn and lament over the oppressed seed, untill the Lord, strong and mighty, arise to render vengeance upon the head of the oppressor, and to plead in truth with his righteous judgements, the cause of the innocent, who are the signs and wonders of these latter dayes, as in the dayes of old.

Now if you can believe my words, O ye men that shall dye? hearken and hear, and bear with me a moment, which I know you will, if you subject to the measure of that noble, just, equall, pure, meek principle, or spirit that was in Moses, and be­hold I tell yee, is in you also, but 'tis exceedingly oppressed, let it arise to hear me, for to that only I desire to be manifest.

On the sixth day of the eighth moneth, and fifth day of the week, tidings came to me of a feast for the Mayor and Aldermen, Parliament and Army that day, upon which I weighed and pondered in my mind, whether it were a time to feast, and the Nation with her free-born inhabitants, so greatly oppressed un­der such grievous yoaks and bonds of wickednesse, and so many poor, naked, blind and lame, that wants bread, and such great things promised by such wise men, (and whether the Lord God will not visit for these things) and were going to [Page 2]eat and to drink, and nourish their hearts, as in a day of slaughter; and imme­diately the power of the indignation of the Lord stirred within me, and his word, which is the higher power, I felt to be quick and powerfull, moved, and I im­mediately subjected to its command, which was to speak these words in the Au­dience and presence of you all assembled together, whether you can believe me or not, or hear, or forbear; these words the everlasting God put into my heart, and in obedience to his invisible spirit of life, I speak them forth, as yee may remember, if you did mind, thus, in the old Masse-house, called Christs Church.

Heare, heare, heare the word of the Lord, O ye Mountains and Inhabitants of the earth, the day, even the day of Gods visitation is upon your heads, for yee have chosen the way that is not good, wherefore assemble your selves O yee strong oaks, that the Lord might poure upon your heads his indignation, for de­ceit and hypocrisy the Lords soul abhorres.

And if thus to obey the Lord God be a transgression of any of your Decrees or Laws, behold here is a body prepared to suffer, let Gods witnesse, the light of Christ in your consciences judg, & whether it be not better to obey God rather then man, judge yee; But if you reply, and say, thou madest a disturbance, thou didst disturb the Minister that was praying, and we had a Law which was founded upon Queen Maries, that blood-thirsty persecuters Law, which was three moneths imprisonment, after due accusation and examination heard, and conviction of two witnesses before two Justices of the Peace; mark that, to any one that should on purpose maliciously, or contemptuously disturb the Preacher; and because her Law was not severe enough for the Priests, Oliver Cromwell and his Councel added three moneths more to it, but I have fulfilled that Law, by suffering under it with many more, as a testimony against it, and the Founders and Builders up of it, for ever; but this late Parliament have made this Law null and void; However, thou oughtest to be had to prison, and to suffer; what? without a Law? because thou disturbest us, and we cannot believe that it is according to Christ or his Apostles doctrine, though we call the Scripture our Rule, may ye say in your hearts, and God is a God of order, and he is not the Authour of confusion; To which I answer, he that speaks true and sober words, in obedience to the moving and commandment of the Lord, without respect of persons, dayes, place or time, is not disorderly, nor the Authour of confusion; and if you were in all things guided by Moses, Christ, his Prophets, and Apostles spirit; yet opprest in bondage, in you, ye would know it: but they are disorderly, that break forth into confusion, and are like Bears, Lions, Dogges, and wolves, in their devouring nature, to rent, tear, and devour, knock down, dragge, and offer violence, and buffeting a poor single Lamb, or Friend of Christ, both in and out of the Syna­gogue, or Masse-house, and dragge the poor Saints before the Judgement Seat.

Neither is it contrary to the Apostles doctrine, who spake (by the Spirit of Christ Jesus the light in him) who said, if any thing be revealed to another that sits by, let the first hold his peace; and as many poor wise men that were among you, even they might have seen and felt, that I was not out of the Apostles do­ctrine, neither spake contrary to the pure spirit that gave forth the Scriptures of truth, but stood up a certain time in the fear & dread, and power of the Lord God, before I spake forth the words, so that the Priest had time to have stopt & held his peace; & if he had done so, together with the bruitish People, or rude multitude, [Page 3]it would have been good order, and according to the Apostles doctrine, and Scriptures of truth; and after I had spoken the words of the Commandement of the Lord forth, I know I should have departed in Gods fear and peace orderly as I came in; yet notwithstanding, I neither resisted, nor offered violence to ei­ther man, woman, or child, and it would have been a noble thing of any of you Magistrates, chief Captains, Colonels, or Souldiers, and according to your place, to have called out or used means to have restrained the disorderly, rude, bruitish people, from dragging, pulling, or tearing me to pieces, or from buffeting me in the face, and from pulling my hair, and beating, and dragging me, See Act. 23, 9, 10. Even in and forth of your high place of worship, and from dragging me to prison, contrary to your Laws without Mittimus, or being called before any of you, who should without delay have heard a lawful triall, and true witnesses, with due ac­cusation, that you might then have signified the crimes to the Goaler, and this had been but reasonable; and in such a matter, him whom the Priests and professors, and profane of England, call a Heathen, Namely, Festus, was more noble, and will judge you, See Acts 23.27. verse, but they, who all of them are called Christians, but more like, yea, and far worse then Heathens, that know not the dreadfull God among them, in their rage and enmity dragged and threw me into the Goale New-gate, & after they had thus thrown me into the Goal, as if I had been a dead dog, or swine, they beat me there with a staff, besides, one unreasonable merciless man struck me over the bare head with a staffe, even in the Idols Temple, be­ing at the same time dragg'd between four or five men.

And Friends, this was disorder, tyranny, cruelty, oppression, and injustice, and it had been better you had been found executing true and sound justice and judg­ment, without respect of persons, gifts, or rewards; (when shal it once be?) then to have thus met to feed your selves without fear over the oppressed seed; and Ma­gistrates, that are to rule for God, will, and in his pure noble principle in them, should be just men of truth; a terrour to evill doers, that offer violence in the devouring nature against the innocent, (whose praise is not of men, but of God; and such as rule for and with him) and for these and a multitude of such like things will the everlasting God of truth visit the haughty oppressors, and persecuting priests and Magistrates of Englands Nation, and dominions, whose day of visitation, of salvation, is hastening over their heads, who to this day have rejected its appearance.

And although there was not found among all the multitude, after I had waited two dayes before your Judgement Seat, one man, woman, or child, that did, or could accuse me of the breach of any Law, except it were one or two of you that sate upon the Judgement Seat, did accuse me. Now consider (if you be a little coole) with the spirit of wisdom, meeknesse, and of sound judgement, whither I have done or spoken any thing contrary to any Law or Decree (if you can make it appear, do it without delay; for behold I am yet under your hand, and behold here's a body in which I am prepared to suffer) as I demanded before all the peo­ple assembled before your Judgement Seat, that it was but reasonable, and an equall thing to shew and convince me by the Law before the people, what evill I had done either in word or action, but no Law was brought or admitted to be read to or against me, and so this reasonable thing was denied me; and herein you cannot be said to be noble, while you thus turn the sword against the innocent; and the Lord God will plead with you for it; for the Lord is nigh at hand to try [Page 4]you, and to judge and reward for all your deeds done in every of your particular body; And thou John Ireton, instead of doing Justice, and executing true and sound Judgment, after true searching and enquiring into the nature and ground of a mat­ter, and so to plead the cause of the innocent, whose consciences are exercised to­wards God, this would have been thy honour; but even thou replyedst, and sayedst, Take him away, he is mad. Alas poor man, thou knowest not what thou hast done, and surely I perceive thou dost not yet know or believe, against whom thou, together with the rest of the persecuting Magistrates and Priests of Eng­land, Scotland, and Ireland, have lifted up your hands; and behold this testi­mony I give forth, whether you can believe, or receive it or nay, that here is three of us in bonds in New-gate Goale; namely, Humphry Bache, Anne Gould, and Daniel Baker (committed by your order and wills) who, as sure as the Lord God hath given you and all men breath and life, and all things, so sure are we his Servants and Friends, and worship him in spirit and in truth; for he who is a most pure, invisible, eternal spirit, hath sought and found us, and we are in him that is true, and so is our testimony, and therefore cannot lye nor swear, nor give flattering titles to any man, if we should, the Lord our God, whom we serve, would condemn us, and we assuredly know, that the whole world lyeth in wick­ednesse; and therefore in love to the world on the Lords behalf as his friends, we testify against the deeds and friendships, and honours thereof, for they are evill; and its enmity to our God, who is the living God. And this know assu­redly from my hand, that is guided by the good spirit of the Lord, to write these things, that I am this day in bonds for the testimony of him that saves from sin, and for the exercise of a pure conscience, who desires that in the day and time of your tryal, when the tribes of the earth shall mourn (and they shall look upon him (the Light) whom they have rebelled against, and pierced.)

That these things where Repentance unto life is truly witnessed, may not be laid to your charge, who yet sit in the habitations of cruelty and darknesse, and I am with that which is the condemnation of the unjust, but is the life of the Just.